IX - Here's something to help you take the final steps towards putting the Steelers disappointing playoff loss to bed. Or not. Looks like the Broncos opening play of overtime could easily have been negated by an illegal formation penalty for only have six men on the line of scrimmage. At least seven are required by rule. Hehe. Darn. Those be the breaks this time.
X - The Steelers will reportedly make a final determination about Hines Ward's future with the team by March. I don't know why some consider this to be 'earlier than expected' being that March is the start of free agency and the time when the Steelers will be executing whatever strategy they've devised for this year's offseason moves in free agency and the draft. One thing's clear -- Ward knows he must take a pay-cut and restructure his contract in order for it to make sense for the Steelers to retain him for a 15th season. Ward said as much in his Tuesday afternoon interview with Tunch & Wolf.
XII - Ron Lippock, who runs the outstanding resource 'Pittsburgh Daily Sports Bulletin', recently interviewed Gabe Rivera, the former Steelers offensive lineman who was tragically injured during his rookie season in 1983. Good stuff as always from Ron and the PDSB.
XIV - Luke Ravensthal, Pittsburgh's mayor, 'Tebows' in public on Wednesday to settle up his bet with Denver mayor Michael Hancock from Sunday's wild card matchup.
XL - One of SB Nation's newer columnists, Bomani Jones (formerly of ESPN), penned a great piece about the mess that is college football, and why he doesn't think implementing a playoff system would help one bit unless other structural changes accompanied it. It's a good read, and one of many reasons why I agree with mary rose's article from several years back about why the NFL game is superior to major NCAAFB.
XLIII - Here are the SB Nation blogs of the eight remaining teams still alive for Super Bowl XLV: